Pulsing reaction drive for water craft

ABSTRACT

This invention concerns an internal combustion engine with a combustion chamber (8) for burning the working gas in an explosion stroke and, connected to the combustion chamber (8), a pump chamber (18) which can be filled via an input orifice (181) with a driving fluid which can be ejected through an exhaust orifice (182) by the effect of the combustion gas formed during the explosion stroke; this internal combustion engine is provided with a spraying device (19, 50) with which a coolant can be sprayed into the pump chamber (18) during an implosion stroke subsequent to the explosion stroke.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a combustion motor having a combustion chamberfor the combustion of the working gas during communication withcombustion chamber. The pump chamber can be an explosion phase and apump chamber which is in communication with combustion chamber. The pumpchamber can be filled with a drive fluid by way of an inlet opening, andthen can have the drive fluid expelled out of an outlet opening underthe action of the combustion gas formed during the explosion phase.

A combustion motor of this kind is known for example from Swiss patentspecification No 450 946 and is referred to therein as a reaction motorwhich can be used for example for driving water craft. In such motorsthe fluid in the pump chamber represents a kind of a fluid piston whichis to be expelled as a whole from the pump chamber by the pressure ofthe combustion gas.

The known combustion motors of this kind suffer from the disadvantagesinter alia of the relatively low level of efficiency of the machine andthe low numbers of phases which can be achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved combustionmotor of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification.

By virtue of a cooling medium being injected into the pump chamber, thehot combustion gas is abruptly cooled down and as a result experiences asubstantial reduction in its volume. The resulting reduced pressure nowpromotes conveyance of the next fluid piston into the pump chamber anddesirably also promotes the conveyance of fresh working gas into thecombustion chamber. That provides for a considerable reduction in theduration of the post-filling phase and enhances the level of efficiencyof the combustion motor.

A certain implosion also occurs after the explosion phase inconventional combustion motors, but this takes place substantially moreslowly and is less highly pronounced as heat exchange with respect tothe combustion gas occurs only slowly and incompletely.

Further advantages and details of the invention are describedhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention, partly in the form ofa longitudinal section and partly in the form of a diagrammatic view,

FIG. 2 is a view in cross-section taken along line A--A in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a view in cross-section taken along line B--B in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a view in longitudinal section through a second embodiment ofthe invention in the form of a boat drive,

FIGS. 5a-5e are views of showing the operating procedure involved in aphase cylinder,

FIG. 6 is a detail view in longitudinal section of an inlet valve,

FIGS. 7a and 7b are detail views of an outlet valve from a side view (a)and a rear view (b),

FIG. 8 is a detail view in longitudinal section of an igniter bar,

FIG. 9 is a detail view of an inner tube of an injector pump, shown inan unrolled condition,

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view of a fluid impulsion circuit with acombustion motor according to the invention, and

FIGS. 11a and 11b are diagrammatic views of a tubular piston flow and apiston bubble flow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, shown therein is a first embodiment ofthe invention in which a multiplicity of pump chambers 18 are arrangedgenerally in an annular array around a combustion chamber 8. In thiscase the individual pump chambers 18 are separated from each other byradial partitions 35. A working gas which is capable of exploding is fedto the combustion chamber 8 by way of the combustion chamber check valve6, a combustion chamber inlet valve 38 and a carburetor 3. For initialignition when starting the motor, the working gas is conveyed into thecombustion chamber 8 by way of the delivery pump 2, which is driven bythe drive motor 1. Immediately after initial ignition the delivery pump2 becomes non-functional as the following charges for the combustionchamber 8 are conveyed by the reduced pressure in the pump chambers 18,as will be described hereinafter. The delivery pump 2 is preferably inthe form of an axial pump that provides the required charge pressure forfirst filling of the combustion chamber 8 at relatively low speeds ofrotation of the electric motor 1, and then remains inactive duringnormal operation of the motor, it builds up scarcely any flow resistanceinto the combustion chamber relation to the combustion air which isbeing sucked in.

The combustion chamber check valve 6 must withstand the high initialpressures during the explosion phase and prevent the combustion gas fromescaping through the carburetor 3. In addition, the check valve 6 mustbe resistant to heat and must involve a low mass with respect to itsmovable parts in order to be able to follow high cycle frequencieswithout involving a troublesome delay. Accordingly a conventional valvewith spring steel diaphragms is suitable as the check valve 6.

The combustion chamber 8 is of an elongate structural configuration,whereby the flushing characteristic is improved and a mixing effectbetween combustion gas from the preceding explosion phase and freshworking gas is kept at a particularly low level. As the working gas isignited in the combustion chamber 8 at atmospheric pressure, the gasburning speed is relatively low. Thus, were the gas to be ignited onlyat the burner head, the increased pressure resulting from combustion offresh gas components in the proximity of the burner head would expel theremaining fresh gas charge into the pump chamber 18 more rapidly thanthe flame front could be propagated. For that reason, a multi-pointigniter arrangement in the form of an igniter bar 7 is employed.

Such an igniter bar is shown for example in FIG. 8. The igniter bar 7has a central electrode 28, at one end of which is disposed theconnection 27 for the igniter cable and at the other end of which isdisposed the electrode base 30. The electrode 28 is surrounded from itsconnection 27 to its base 30 by a tubular insulating body 29. Thatinsulating body 29 is electrically nonconducting and is heat-resistant.An outer metal tube 31 surrounds the insulating body 29 and is providedbetween the electrode base 30 and the screwing-in thread 32 on theigniter bar, which screwing--a thread 32 extends around the insulatingbody in the proximity of the connection 27 for the igniter cable andwhich serves as an electrical counterpart pole. Provided within theouter tube 31 are a plurality of interruptions 33 which serve asseries-connected spark gaps. The working gas is simultaneously ignitedat a plurality of locations in the combustion chamber 8 by the sparkswhich are formed at the spark gaps during the ignition phase, so thatthe burning time of the entire gas charge is substantially reduced.

Should the igniter bar 7 be damp in the starting phase, various measurescan be provided in order to remove such moisture. For example provisioncan be made for a heating device or a drying device using an air flowmaybe employed.

The combustion gas which is formed during the explosion phase and whichis under an increased pressure flows through the head diffuser 37 andthe inlet valve 16 into the pump chambers 18 and expels the workingfluid therein out of the pump chamber outlet opening 182. In thatrespect it is important that the combustion gas expels the fluid in thepump chambers 18 in a so-called tubular piston flow and not for examplein a so-called piston bubble flow. Such tubular piston flows arecharacterized by Baker (in Dubbel, "Maschinenbau", Springer), and thedifference between those two kinds of flow will be briefly clarifiedwith reference to FIGS. 11a and 11b. FIG. 11a illustrates a tubularpiston flow in which the drive fluid 40 in the pump chamber 18 isexpelled as a whole or in the form of a "fluid piston" by the combustiongas 41 which is formed in the combustion chamber 8. In FIG. 11b the gas41 breaks through the surface of the fluid, whereby the fluid piston isnot entirely expelled from the pump chamber and severe turbulencephenomena occur. The consequence is a drastic reduction in the level ofefficiency.

Which of the two kinds of flow is formed depends in particular on thediameter of the pump chamber, its length and the viscosity of the fluid.In order to ensure that a tubular piston flow is formed, the pumpchamber may not be less than a given length, when the pump chamber is ofa predetermined diameter. Conventional combustion motors have only onepump chamber, which therefore must be relatively long overall in termsof its effective length, that is to say over the length that thecombustion gas acts on the drive fluid. The consequence of this is thatthe times required to expel the fluid piston and to re-charge the motorwith a new fluid piston are also relatively long. It is therefore onlypossible to achieve relatively low numbers of cycles of the motor.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention it is provided thatcombustion gas formed in the combustion chamber 8 is distributed to aplurality of pump chambers 18. By virtue of the smaller area radiusthereof or by virtue of the smaller cross-sectional thereof they can beof a shorter configuration, while retaining the tubular piston flow,whereby the number of phases or operating cycles of the motor can beincreased. In that connection the total volume of the pump chambers 18is so selected that the sum of the volume of the combustion chamber andthe pump chambers approximately corresponds to the volume (in practiceit is somewhat greater) of the combustion gas after it has expelled theworking fluid out of the pump chambers 18 and has dropped toapproximately atmospheric pressure again. In that way the workingcapacity of the combustion gas can be converted as completely aspossible. It will be seen from these considerations that the number ofpump tubes must be increased in squared relationship to their reductionin length.

After the end of the explosion phase a reduction in the volume of thecombustion gas begins, as a result of its cooling down. The resultingreduced pressure in the pump chamber 18 is already used in theconventional combustion motors in the state of the art to convey thenext working gas charge into the combustion chamber 8. A further factorwhich also results in a reduced pressure in the pump chambers towards orafter the end of the explosion phase in the conventional fluid pistoncombustion motors is the kinetic energy of the water piston as it flowsaway.

In comparison therewith, the present invention goes a step further andthere is provided a spray device with which a cooling medium can besprayed into the pump chamber 18 at the end of the explosion phase. Inthat respect the spray device can be provided irrespective of the numberof pump chambers. Due to the cooling medium being sprayed into the pumpchambers 18, the volume of the combustion gas is abruptly reduced and animplosion phase subsequent to the explosion phase is implemented.

The spray device has a series of spray nozzles 19 which open into theindividual pump chambers 18 and which are connected to a cooling mediumchamber 51. The cooling medium chamber 51 is arranged between thecombustion chamber 8 and the pump chambers 18 in an annularconfiguration around the combustion chamber 8 and can be acted upon by apressure created by a cycle pump 15. Bores 52 are provided between thecooling medium chamber 51 and the pump chambers 18 to form the spraynozzles 19. On the side of the pump chambers 18 those bores 52 areconnected by an annular V-shaped groove 54 in which a sealing ring 53 inthe form of an O-ring is clamped. When the cooling medium 51 is putunder pressure by the pump 50 the cooling medium is sprayed by way ofthe spray nozzles 19 into the pump chambers 18 primarily in thelongitudinal direction thereof. The cooling medium used is preferablythe same fluid as that which also forms the drive fluid, for examplewater, particularly when the combustion motor is used as a boat drive.

The reduced pressure which is caused by spraying in the cooling mediumin the pump chambers causes the outlet valve 20, which is in the form ofa check valve, to close. The outlet valve 20 is provided jointly for allpump chambers 18 and comprises an elastic truncated tube portion ofwhich one edge region 201 is secured to a region, adjacent to the outletopenings 182 of the pump chambers 18, of the wall of the pump chambers18, and which is prestressed towards the closed position. The magnitudeof that prestressing towards the closed position is so selected that theoutlet valve 20 already closes when the water piston has been completelyexpelled from the respective pump chamber 18 and only combustion gas isstill flowing hereafter. The outlet valve 20 can therefore close offpump chambers 18 in which gas prematurely reaches the valve andtherefore acts in a synchronising mode and prevents gas from escapingprematurely from the pump chamber. As the diaphragm of the outlet valveis very light, the valve closes and opens with only a short time delayand is therefore also suitable for a fast working cycle.

Due to the reduced pressure in the pump chambers 18 the inlet valve 16further opens the drive fluid inlet opening 17, that is to say the valveflap 160 moves from its second closed position 162 in the direction ofthe first closed position 161. By virtue thereof, drive fluid, forexample water, can flow through the drive fluid inlet opening 17 intothe rear part of the head diffuser 37 and further through the inletopenings 181 of the pump chambers 18 into the pump chambers 18.

During the explosion phase or at the beginning of the implosion phasethe combustion chamber inlet valve 38, which is for example in the formof a flap valve, has been opened by the control device 36. Therefore,due to the reduced pressure in the pump chambers 18 during the implosionphase combustion gas is also conveyed out of the combustion chamber 8and fresh working gas flows thereafter. The valve flap 160 of the inletvalve 16 is therefore in an intermediate position between the secondclosed position 162 and the first closed position 161, and a mixture ofworking fluid and combustion gas flows into the pump chambers 18. If thecombustion gas formed in the next explosion phase were to encounter sucha mixture of drive fluid and combustion gas, the combustion gas couldpenetrate into that fluid piston which is permeated with gas, and cleanexpulsion of the fluid piston would be prevented. In order to counteractthis, the combustion chamber inlet valve 38 is closed prior to the endof the water piston trailing flow or wake so that the subsequenttrailing flow of gas out of the combustion chamber 8 is stopped, wherebythe inlet valve 16, which is described hereinafter, is moved into thefirst closed position 161 and no gas is mixed with the head of the waterpiston. At the time at which the valve 38 is closed, the procedure forflushing the combustion chamber 8 with fresh gas should as far aspossible just be brought to a close. In the next explosion phasetherefore the combustion gas formed impinges on pure drive fluid and thehead of the fluid piston in the respective pump chamber 18 is gas-tightin relation to the combustion gas.

The reduced pressure obtaining in the pump chambers 18 during theimplosion phase therefore already accelerates the fluid piston forwardlyin the expulsion direction. The thermal energy stored in the exhaust orwaste gas is therefore completely used, on the one hand for theacceleration effect and for post-charging of the fluid piston, and onthe other hand for flushing the combustion chamber 8. The reducedpressure obtained in the pump chambers 18 during the implosion phase iscompensated by the inflowing fluid piston before the pump chambers 18are entirely filled with drive fluid. The last phase in the fillingprocedure during which the outlet valve 20 opens is implemented by thekinetic energy of the forwardly accelerated fluid piston. When the motoris already moving, that is to say either it is moving with respect tothe drive fluid or--in the closed fluid circuit--the drive fluid formsan afflux flow to the motor, that afflux flow of the drive fluid to thedrive fluid inlet opening 17 also provides a supporting effect in termsof re-charging of the pump chambers with drive fluid and flushing of thecombustion chamber 8.

An important aspect of the invention, which can also be implementedindependently of the other aspects, is the particular configuration ofthe inlet valve 16. More specifically, it is necessary to prevent thecombustion gas which flows out of the combustion chamber 8 during theexplosion phase flowing tangentially past a drive fluid surface since,from by virtue thereof, drive fluid would be entrained by the combustiongas and it would be so-to-speak sprayed into the combustion gas.However, the fact of drive fluid being sprayed into the combustion gasin that way would result in a cooling effect and a reduction in thevolume of the combustion gas while the explosion phase is still takingplace. The consequence of this would be a substantial reduction in thelevel of efficiency of the motor. In accordance with this aspect of theinvention the inlet valve 16 for the combustion gas is arranged ator--as viewed in the direction of flow of the combustion gas--upstreamof the end of the pump chambers 18, that is opposite to the outletopenings 182 of the pump chambers 18. Thus, the arrangement andconfiguration of the inlet valve 16 for the combustion gas is such thatthe combustion gas which flows out of the combustion chamber 8 impingesessentially only in frontal relationship onto the drive fluid.

In principle the inlet valve 16 for the combustion gas to pass into thepump chambers 18, and an inlet valve for the drive fluid to pass intothe pump chambers 18 could be provided separately. It is preferredhowever to provide a common inlet valve 16 for the combustion gas andfor the drive fluid, as is shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. The valve flap160 of this inlet valve 16 closes off the combustion chamber 8 in afirst closed position 161, and closes off the drive fluid inlet opening17 in a second closed position 162. That second closed position 162 isadopted in the event of an increased pressure in the combustion chamber8 or in the head diffuser 37. The valve flap 160 is formed from anelastic truncated tube portion, which for example can comprise silicone.The one edge region 163 of that truncated tube portion is secured to theoutside wall of the motor, and while in the first closed position 161the other edge region bears against the wall of the head diffuser 37,which is on the inside of the motor, and while in the second closedposition 162 it bears against the wall of the head diffuser 37 which ison the outside of the motor. The truncated tube portion is prestressedin the first closed position 161 by virtue of its elasticity. Supportelements 164, 165 are provided to support the truncated tube portion inthe two closed positions 161, 162; the support elements 164, 165 can be,for example, grills or strip-shaped elements which are oriented in thedirection of flow of the respective medium.

The sequence of the explosion and implosion phases is controlled by thecontrol device 36, which can be for example in the form of a cam controlsystem. For ignition of the igniter bar 7 the control device 36 outputsa signal to the electrical control system 10 which includes the ignitioncoil. The pump 50 is set in operation by the control device 36 forspraying cooling medium into the pump chambers. In that case, the energyconsumed by the pump 50 corresponds to less than 1 percent of the totalenergy and is therefore not significant. In addition the control device36 opens and closes the combustion chamber inlet valve 38.

As the implosion phase must immediately follow the explosion phase evenwhen the machine is running slowly or idling, the control device 36controls an idle mode by pause phases being inserted after the implosionphase during the idle mode. During those pause phases drive fluid whichflows in afflux relationship to the motor can simply flow through thepump chambers 18.

The head diffuser 37 which takes the communication between thecombustion chamber 8 and the pump chambers 18 and in which the inletvalve 16 and the drive fluid inlet opening 17 are disposed enlarges in aconical configuration from the combustion chamber, and its function isto reduce the speed of the working gas issuing from the combustionchamber. The conical shape of the combustion chamber assists with thatfunction whereby the length of the head diffuser can be reduced.

The pump chambers 18 are also of a conical structural shape, and morespecifically their cross-sectional area decreases from their inletopening 181 to their outlet opening 182. By virtue of thatconfiguration, with a reference size with respect the outlet opening182, the area of the inlet opening can be increased, whereby thepossible number of phases or cycles can be maximized as the water feedtakes place more quickly and the pump chamber length can be reduced.

By releasing the connecting bolts 60 the front plate 61 of thecombustion chamber 8 can be removed and access to the combustion chamber8 can be afforded.

The mode of operation of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 through 9is in principle the same and similar parts have been denoted by the samereferences. In this embodiment the motor is used as a boat drive and istherefore arranged on a boat bottom 9 beneath the water line 26. Unlikethe embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, the pump chambers 18are not arranged around the combustion chamber 8 but in series inrelation thereto. For that purpose the combustion gas which flows out ofthe combustion chamber 8 is distributed in a gas distributor 14 to aplurality of gas distributor or manifold pipes 15. Provided between thegas distributor pipes 15 and the pump chambers 18 there are again inletvalves 16 which can close off the access to the gas distributor pipes15, and also close off the drive fluid inlet openings 17. Those inletvalves 16 are shown on an enlarged scale in FIG. 6 and are similar interms of their structure and function to the inlet valves of theembodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, in which case however a separateinlet valve 16 is provided for each pump chamber 18.

Each of the pump chambers 18 again has spray nozzles 19. In contrast tothe embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 however the spray nozzles arenot supplied by a pump but automatically open when there is a slightlyreduced pressure of for example between 0.1 and 0.5 bar in the pumpchambers. A reduced pressure of that kind occurs at the beginning of theimplosion phase due to the combustion gas being cooled down and also dueto the kinetic energy of the water piston as it is expelled. Once again,provided at the outlet end of the pump chambers 18 are outlet valves 20which close in the event of a reduced pressure in the pump chambers 18.Those outlet valves 20, which in this embodiment are provided separatelyfor each pump tube 18, are shown in FIG. 7 open at (a) and closed at(b). The outlet valve 20 has elastic diaphragms 21 in the form ofsegments of a circle, which in the closed condition overlap inshingle-like relationship in a similar manner to a leaf shutter of acamera. Supports (not shown in FIG. 7) at the end of the pump chamber 18which preferably extend radially across the outlet of the pump chamber18 in a star configuration prevent those diaphragms 21 from beinginverted into the pump chamber 18 by virtue of a reduced pressure in thepump chamber 18. The segments of the circle come together to constitutea disk shape in front of the outlet end of the pump chamber 18 and shutoff the return flow of water. The diaphragms 21 are also prestressed inthat form so that they load the water piston during its passage throughthe valve, with the closing pressure. At the same time as the end of thewater piston passes, the outlet valve 20 closes, extremely quickly byvirtue of its small mass.

As the speed of expulsion of the water piston out of the pump chamber 18is substantially higher than the speed of the boat, that speeddifference would markedly reduce the level of efficiency involved if thecombustion motor were used directly as a boat drive. Therefore,connected downstream of the pump chambers 18 is an injector pump 23which causes a reduction in speed with at the same time an increase inthe volume of the expelled jet of water. The injector pump 23 has aninner tube 24 which is scalloped in a crown-like configuration and whichis shown in FIG. 9 in a rolled-out condition. The inner tube 24 issurrounded by a flexible outer hose 25 which is resistant to tensileforces, and which is secured to the inner tube 24 on the side of theinlet opening thereof while its other side is free. Desirably, the outerhose 25 enlarges in a slightly conical configuration in the closingdirection. When the water piston issues from the pump tubes 18, theouter hose 25 is sucked by the reduced pressure into the scalloprecesses of the inner tube 24, thereby forming a conical jet tube.Depending on the duration and configuration of the reduced pressure orreduced-pressure regions within the inner tube 24, the outer hose 25 issucked in over a varying length. In the pauses between ejection of theindividual water pistons from the pump chambers 18, the outer hose 25 isreleased and can adapt itself to the flowing water in a freelyfluttering manner and in an advantageous configuration in terms of flow.In the event of shock waves occurring, the outer hose 25, which is of aslightly conically enlarging configuration, is inflated, whereby a shockwave can also be put to use to improve the forward drive effect.

The sequence in respect of time of ignition sparks and starting of thedrive motor 1 in the start-up phase is implemented by the electricalcontrol system 10. For that purpose, as input signals it receives thesignal of a speed regulator 12 and the signal of a travel speedregulator 13 as the maximum possible cycle or phase rates depending onthe speed of travel, and then it promotes re-charging of the fluidpistons into the pump chambers 18. The power supply for the electricalcontrol system 10 is a battery 11.

FIG. 4 also shows the carburetor 3 in somewhat greater detail. It has aconventional float chamber 4 with fuel valve. In addition, extendingfrom the float chamber 4 to the inlet opening of the carburetor 3 is apressure-compensation duct 5 in order to compensate for the inletpressure, which is above atmospheric pressure, in the start-up phase, inthe chambers. Accordingly, fuel is also mixed with the air in thestart-up phase in a mixture ratio which remains the same.

FIGS. 5a through 5e show a machine cycle, with fresh working gas 42,combustion gas 41 and drive fluid 40 being identified in different ways.

In FIG. 5a ignition has just occurred. A plurality of flame centers arebeing propagated, the inlet valve 16 is inflated, that is to say openedtowards the combustion chamber 8, and closed towards the drive fluidinlet opening 17. The discharge flow valves 20 are opened and the waterpistons begin to be expelled from the pump tubes 18.

In FIG. 5b the explosion pressure has almost completely expelled thewater pistons. From now on the departing water pistons implement aninitial reduced pressure into the pump tubes. The combustible mixture isburnt without any residue.

In the condition of the motor shown in FIG. 5c the explosion phase hasalready concluded and the implosion phase has begun. The initial reducedpressure has activated the spray nozzles 19 and they increase thereduced pressure by completely cooling the residual gas in the pumptubes. The outlet valves 20 are closed and the inlet valves 16 haveopened the drive fluid inlet opening 17. New water pistons are suckedinto the pump tubes and a fresh charge of combustible working gas issucked into the combustion chamber 8.

In the condition shown in FIG. 5d the pump chambers 18 are completelyfilled with a fresh water charge and likewise the combustion chamber isfilled with combustible mixture. The next cycle can be fired.

FIG. 5e also shows the starting phase of the motor. In this phase freshgas is conveyed into the combustion chamber 8 by way of the axial pump 2which is driven by the drive motor 1, in which case the gas in thecombustion chamber (or the fluid therein) can issue through the pumpchambers 18.

The drive arrangement shown in FIG. 10 has a fluid impulsion circuit 80which is driven by a combustion motor 81 according to the invention.Arranged in the circuit is a flow turbine 82, preferably a Kaplan orFrancis turbine, the rotation of which drives a drive shaft 83.

The fluid circuit has a large circulatory configuration and a smallcirculatory configuration. The large circulatory configuration isindicated by the arrows 84 and leads through the motor 81. In the motorthe fluid is accelerated and consequently drives the turbine 82. If theinlet opening of the motor is closed the fluid can short-circuit themotor and can follow a small circulatory configuration corresponding tothe arrows 85.

Arranged on a curve inside of the fluid circuit is an exhaust gascollecting chamber 86, through the inlet openings 87 of which can enterthe combustion gas which accumulates in the reduced-pressure region onthe curve inside and which can then escape through the exhaust 88.

Provided on a curve outside (increased-pressure region) is an inlet pipe89 for a radiator 90. The drive fluid is cooled in the latter and isthen returned to the fluid circuit through the outlet pipe 91, whichopens at a curve inside (reduced-pressure region) of the fluid circuit.

What is claimed is:
 1. A combustion motor, comprising:a combustionchamber; a pump chamber in fluid communication with said combustionchamber, the pump chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening;an outlet valve associated with said outlet opening; and a spray devicein communication with said pump chamber; such that, combustion of a gaswithin said combustion chamber during an explosion phase expels a drivefluid from said pump chamber through said outlet opening while saidoutlet valve is open, then said spray device sprays a cooling mediuminto said pump chamber such that hot combustion gas contained therein iscooled and reduced to a sub-atmospheric pressure during an implosionphase while said valve closes said outlet opening and while drive fluidflows into said pump chamber through said inlet opening.
 2. Thecombustion motor of claim 1, wherein said spray device includes a pumpfor the cooling medium.
 3. The combustion motor of claim 1, wherein saidspray device includes at least one spray nozzle provided in said pumpchamber and configured to spray the cooling medium primarily in thelongitudinal direction of said pump chamber.
 4. The combustion motor ofclaim 1, wherein the volume of said combustion chamber combined with thevolume of said pump chamber substantially corresponds to the volume ofthe combusted gas when at atmospheric pressure.
 5. The combustion motorof claim 1, wherein said valve is a check valve which closes said outletopening in response to the pressure in said pump chamber becomingsub-atmospheric as a result of the hot combustion gas therein beingcooled by the cooling medium.
 6. The combustion motor of claim 1, andfurther comprising a multi-point igniter device located within saidcombustion chamber for combusting the gas.
 7. The combustion motor ofclaim 1, wherein said combustion chamber includes a gas inlet end and anopposite end, and wherein said combustion chamber is of a conicalconfiguration that enlarges in cross-section from said gas inlet endtowards said opposite end.
 8. The combustion motor of claim 6, andfurther comprising a control device for actuating said multi-pointigniter device and said spray device.
 9. The combustion motor of claim8, wherein said control device is for actuating said spray deviceimmediately after the explosion phase.
 10. The combustion motor of claim8, wherein said control device is for actuating said spray device whenthe gas has returned to substantially atmospheric pressure.
 11. Thecombustion motor of claim 8, wherein said control device is foractuating said multi-point igniter device after a pause after theimplosion phase during an idle mode of operation of said combustionmotor.
 12. The combustion motor of claim 9, wherein said control deviceis for actuating said multi-point igniter device after a pause after theimplosion phase during an idle mode of operation of said combustionmotor.
 13. The combustion motor of claim 1, and further including aninlet valve associated with said inlet opening, wherein during theexplosion phase said inlet valve closes said inlet opening, and duringthe implosion phase said inlet valve opens said inlet opening.
 14. Adrive arrangement comprising:a fluid impulsion circuit including aturbine; and a motor as set forth in claim 1 for driving said turbine.15. The drive arrangement of claim 14, and further comprising a shaftwhich is driven by said turbine.
 16. A drive arrangement comprising:afluid impulsion circuit including a turbine; and a motor as set forth inclaim 2 for driving said turbine.
 17. A drive arrangement comprising:afluid impulsion circuit including a turbine; and a motor as set forth inclaim 3 for driving said turbine.
 18. A drive arrangement comprising:afluid impulsion circuit including a turbine; and a motor as set forth inclaim 4 for driving said turbine.
 19. A drive arrangement comprising:afluid impulsion circuit including a turbine; and a motor as set forth inclaim 5 for driving said turbine.
 20. A drive arrangement comprising:afluid impulsion circuit including a turbine; and a motor as set forth inclaim 6 for driving said turbine.
 21. A drive arrangement comprising:afluid impulsion circuit including a turbine; and a motor as set forth inclaim 7 for driving said turbine.
 22. A drive arrangement comprising:afluid impulsion circuit including a turbine; and a motor as set forth inclaim 8 for driving said turbine.
 23. A drive arrangement comprising:afluid impulsion circuit including a turbine; and a motor as set forth inclaim 9 for driving said turbine.
 24. A drive arrangement comprising:afluid impulsion circuit including a turbine; and a motor as set forth inclaim 10 for driving said turbine.
 25. A drive arrangement comprising;afluid impulsion circuit including a turbine; and a motor as set forth inclaim 11 for driving said turbine.
 26. A method for operating acombustion motor, wherein the combustion motor includes:a combustionchamber; a pump chamber in fluid communication with said combustionchamber, the pump chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening;An outlet valve associated with said outlet opening; and a spray devicein communication with said pump chamber; and wherein the method includesthe following steps:supplying a drive fluid into said pump chamber;supplying gas into said combustion chamber; combusting said gas withinsaid combustion chamber during an explosion phase, thereby causing saidgas to be forced from said combustion chamber and into said pump chamberwhereby said gas expels said drive fluid from said pump chamber throughsaid outlet opening while said outlet valve is open; and then operatingsaid spray device to spray a cooling medium onto the gas in said pumpchamber, whereby said gas is cooled and reduced to a sub-atmosphericpressure during an implosion phase while said outlet valve closes saidoutlet opening and while drive fluid flows into said pump chamberthrough said inlet opening.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein saidcooling medium is water.
 28. The method of claim 26, wherein said spraydevice includes a pump and at least one spray nozzle, and wherein thestep of operating said spray device includes operating said pump suchthat said cooling medium is forced through said at least one nozzle andalong the longitudinal direction of said pump chamber.
 29. The method ofclaim 26, wherein said outlet valve is a check valve, and wherein theclosing of said outlet opening includes closing said outlet opening withsaid check valve in response to achieving the sub-atmospheric pressure.30. The method of claim 26, wherein the combustion motor furtherincludes a multi-point igniter device located within said combustionchamber, and wherein said combusting step comprises actuating saidmulti-point igniter device.
 31. The method of claim 26, wherein saidoperating step is performed immediately after said combusting step. 32.The method of claim 31, wherein said operating step is performed whensaid gas has returned to substantially atmospheric pressure.
 33. Themethod of claim 26, wherein said combustion motor further includes aninlet valve associated with said inlet opening, and further includingthe steps of closing said inlet opening with said inlet valve duringsaid combusting step, and removing said inlet valve from said inletopening during said operating step.